Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-15
JESS.
BY H. RIDER HAGGARD,
Author of King Solomon's Mines,
Etc, Etc.

OF the men on the wagon.
"Prisoner, have you any question to ask
the Witness" said Muller.
II have no questions to ask; deny your
jurisdiction" said the old man with spirit
"The prisoner declines to question the wit
ness, and again pleads to the jurisdiction,
plea which have overruled. Gentlemen, do
you desire to hear any further evidence"
"No, no"
do you then find the prisoner guilty of the
charges laid against HING
Eyes, yes" from the wagon.
Muller made further note in his book and
then went on
"Then, the prisoner having been found
guilty of high treason and attempted murder,
the only matter that remains is the question
of the punishment required to be meted out
by the law to such wicked and horrible Of
lenses. Every man will give his verdict, hav-
ing duly considered if there is any way by
which, in accordance with the holy dictates
of his conscience, and with the natural
promptings to pity i'll his heart, he can eX
tend mercy to the prisoner. As commandant
and president of the court the first vote lies
with me; and | must tell you, gentlemen,
that feel the responsibility a very hearty
one in the sight of God and my country; and
must also warn you not to be influenced or
only man, liable to err and be led away"
"Hear, hear" said the voices on the wagon
as he paused to note the effect of his address,
Gentlemen and burghers Of the state, my
natural promptings in this case are toward
pity. The prisoner is an old man, who has
lived many years among us like n brother
Indeed, he is 'voortrekker,' and, though an
Englishman one of the fathers of the land
Can we condemn such a one to a bloody
grave, more especially as he has a niece de-
pendent upon hing
"No, no. they cried, in answer to this skill
full touch upon the better strings in their ma
ture
Gentlemen, those sentiments do you honor
NY own heart cried but now No, no; what
ever his sins have been, let the old man go
Free But then came reflection. True, the
prisoner is old but should not age have
taught him wisdoml Is that which Is not to
be forgiven to youth to be forgiven to the
ripe experience of many years! May man
murder and be a traitor because he is old."
mo, certainly mott" cried the chorus on the
wagon.
"Then there is the second point. He was a
'voortrekker' and father of the land. Should
he not therefore have known better than to
betray it into the hands of the cruel, goddess
is not laid against him, we must remember,
as throwing light upon his general charac-
ter, that the prisoner was one af those vile
men who betrayed the land to Shepstone Is
it not a most cruel and unnatural thing that
father should sell his own child into slav-
eryl-that a father of the land should lrrter
away its freedom! Therefore on this point,
too, does justice temper mercy"
THAT is So, said the chorus with particu-
lar enthusiasm most of them having them
selves been instrumental in bringing the an
nexaton about.
Then one more thing: this man has a
niece and it is the care of all good men to see
that the young should not be left destitute
and friendless, lest they should grow up bad
and become enemies to the well being of the
state. But in this that Will not be so.
for the farm will go to the girl by law; and,
indeed, she will be well rid of so desperate
and goddess an old man.
"And now, having set my reason toward
one side and the other before you, and having
warned you fully to act each man according
to his conscience, l give my vote. 1t is
and in the midst Of the most intense silence
he paused and looked at old Silas, who never
even quailed-"it is death"
There was little hum of conversation and
crack in the store room wall, groaned in
bitterness and despair of heart.
Then Hans Coetzee spoke. 1t cut his bosom
in two, he said, to have to say a word against
one to whom he had for many years been as
brother. But, then, what was he to dol
The man had plotted evil against their land
the dear land that the dear Lord had given
them, and which they and their fathers had
on various occasions watered, and were still
continuing to water, with their blood What
could be fitting punishment for so black
hearted a traitor, and how would it be DOS
sibe to insure the better behavior of other
ID Englishmen, unless they inflicted tina,
punishment There could, alas! be but one
answer-though personally speaking, he ut
tered it with many tears, and that answer
was death
After this there were no more speeches, but
each man voted according to his age upon
his name being called by the president. Al
first there was little hesitation, for some
among them were fond of old Silas and loatl
to destroy him. But Frank Muller haC
played his game very well, and, nothwith
standing his appeals to their independence Of
judgment, they knew full surely what would
happen to him who gave his vote against the
president So they swallowed their better
feelings with all the ease for which sucl
swallowing is noted, and one by one uttered
the fatal word.
When they had all done Frank Muller adj
dressed Silas:
prisoner, you have heard the judgnen
against you, l need not now recaptulat,
your crimes. You have had a fair and opel
trial by court martial, such as our law di
reefs Have you anything to say why sen
tence of death should not be passed upon you
in accordance with the Judgments"
Old Silas looked up with flashing eyes. ant
shook back his fringe of white hair like
lion at bay.
81 have nothing to say. If you will d.
murder, do it, black hearted villain that yol
arel Knight point TO my gray hairs to my
murdered servant, to my home that took III
ten years to build, destroyed by youl
might tell you how have been a good citi
zen and lived peaceably and neighborly il
the land for more than twenty yeals-ay
and done kindness after kindness to many o